The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presently described or claimed inventions, or that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of floor tiling systems and more specifically relates to an improved sound-muffling flooring and tiling system for installation on a planar surface for dampening sound waves thereby reducing sound from traveling in various directions when a user travels across the flooring, while also providing smooth and level surfaces for flooring installation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Members of today's society often live in close quarters to one another as the world's population is constantly increasing. Consequently, it is not uncommon for people to share a common dwelling space, living within close proximity. For example, apartment complexes may provide multi-level buildings for people to occupy and live on different floors within a commercial dwelling. Occupants who may live on a level with other occupants living above may experience noise disturbances when the upstairs occupants move across their floors. Many times, this results in noise pollution traveling from floor to floor. This may cause high noise levels for the individuals living below, which may ultimately cause headaches, loss of sleep, and other frustrating and inconvenient conditions. Although individual rooms may be somewhat soundproofed, floors and ceilings typically cannot due to the lack of soundproofing products available for the floor installation process.
Furthermore, sound may travel horizontally thus disturbing occupants who reside on the same level. For example, a person who is exercising in a living room may create noise when jumping up and down or running in place. This sound may travel to other rooms on the same level and may thus disturb those who are in those rooms. A more effective solution is needed to dampen and reduce sound waves from multi-directional travel.
Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problems such as those found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,886,488 to Stephen W. Payne, Jr. et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,577 to Kenneth B. Garner; U.S. Pat. No. 7,987,645 to Brandon Tinianov; U.S. Pub. No. 2006/0230699 to James R. Keene; U.S. Pat. No. 2004/0016184 to Robert J. Huebsch et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,957 to James S. Holtrop. This prior art is representative of sound dampening means. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the invention as claimed.
Ideally, a sound muffling system should be lightweight, durable, reasonably easy to install, and integrally comprise a sound muffling, leveling and insulating layer. The present invention is designed to operate reliably and be manufactured at a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable sound muffling flooring tile system to provide a flooring system for ideal use in a multi-story building or dwelling, wherein this unique flooring system may dampen sound waves produced when a user moves about thereby minimizing noise travel while also providing additional insulation and to avoid the above-mentioned problems.